EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT
We're All in this Together
by Lisa Zeno Churgin, ACE
If
I am not for myself,
who will be for me?
If I am not for others,
what am I?
And if not now, when?
- Hillel
As we embark upon a new year, I would like to take this opportunity to ask all of you to stop and reflect and renew your commitment and your obligation as a union member. I think most of us don’t regularly identify ourselves as trade unionists. Part of the reason is because of the type of industry in which we work and part is because many of us view ourselves as artistic craftspeople. However, our needs as working people are the same as the blue-collar industry union members. I hope you took the time to read our Executive Director Ron Kutak’s article in the last issue (Editors Guild Magazine NOV-DEC 05), in which he so eloquently spoke of the need for unity on all levels.
Most of us work in isolated locations and, perhaps because of the geographical separations, we lose our sense of belonging to a larger network—a community of people who share a similar commitment to their work, but also share similar problems and successes. While it may not always feel this way, we are all in this together. It is the responsibility of each member to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and decency toward one another.
There is a common saying used in the labor movement: “A harm to one is a harm to all.” There is so much truth to that. When we allow working conditions to be eroded and, even graver, to participate in that erosion, we are hurting this union institutionally. We are breaking down the very structure we and our predecessors have fought so hard to build. We must look out for one another and uphold our union contracts.
I would like in particular to address my fellow editors, and any other members who find themselves fortunate enough to be in lead positions. It is our responsibility to take a stand and protect our crews. Sometimes we may think we are doing the producer, director, etc., a favor or we are eager to impress, but that should never be done on the backs of our fellow union members.
In the editing environment, for example, assistant editors should
never be in a position to have to fight for their overtime pay or
be pressured not to put in for it. If that is occurring, we—the
editors—must speak up and fight that fight for them. Let’s
not leave anyone alone to fend for themselves. Let us step up to the
plate and take control of our working lives.
The fast pace of today’s environment requires that all of us
(you, me and the union) constantly reinvent ourselves; we must examine
how we can be better. It starts with each one of us. The beginning
of a new year is the perfect time to incorporate change.
It is my desire for that change to be a new and deep sense of empowerment and camaraderie for all of us.